UMass Boston

In an increasingly digital world, there are more records of what type of information people are searching for and where they are searching. As contraceptive rights are everchanging from state to state, and your choice is private, you may want to keep your research private.

In order to protect yourself, there are a number of ways you can safeguard your privacy:

• Use browsers and search engines with more intensive privacy settings, such as DuckDuckGo, Firefox, and Brave.
  • Turn off all browser features related to site data, cookies, caching, and browser history.
    
    
• Use contact information that is completely separate from your primary forms of contact.
  • You can get a secondary phone number through Google Voice, Hushed, or Burner.
  • You can get a secondary, secure email address at Tutanota or ProtonMail.
  • You can use a messaging app such as Signal, which has end-to-end encryption, settings to allow messages to disappear, and doesn’t collect user data.
    
    
• Review all privacy settings on your mobile phone.
  • If you use any health apps to track your period, review their policies on data sharing, such as whether the app owns your data, where it is stored, and whether it is sold to advertisers.
    • If you feel uncomfortable with the policies, you could switch to an app with privacy policies that better align with your values or switch to tracking manually with paper and pencil.

If you are trying to get pregnant, University Health Services can advise you on best practices during pregnancy. You can book an appointment with us for:

• Urine and blood pregnancy testing
• Prenatal vitamins
• Early pregnancy information
• Referrals for prenatal care

For some starter information and pregnancy tips, click here. 

For helpful hints on managing work and school during pregnancy, click here. 

If you don’t want to get pregnant, these are all scenarios that will require EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION (EC)  - also known as Plan B - which is a trade name for one brand of emergency contraception, a drug called levonorgestrel.

Emergency Contraception is NOT the abortion pill. It prevents pregnancy before it happens and must be taken within three (3) days of unprotected intercourse. It is available over the counter, with or without a prescription, or at UHS. If you are pregnant and take this pill AND decide to continue the pregnancy, no harm will be done to the fetus, but it will also not stop the pregnancy.

If it has been more than 3 days after unprotected intercourse, there is another pill available by prescription only called Ella. This requires a pregnancy test to be taken before taking this medicine.

Another method of emergency contraction is to have an Intrauterine Device (IUD) placed right away, but it is often challenging to get an appointment for this.

Neither of the pills mentioned above (Plan B or Ella) is the abortion pill. The abortion pills - mifepristone or misoprostol, are taken once you know you are pregnant (that is you have had a positive pregnancy test) and can be taken up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. The abortion pill is not used for emergency contraception.

University Health Services can also guide you to the best options to prevent pregnancy if desired:

• Condoms
• Hormonal methods (such as the pill, ring, depo shot, implant, and IUDs)

For a description of the effectiveness of different methods of birth control, click here.

The best method for you is based on your age and health status - birth control is not a one-size-fits-all. For a description of which method is the safest type for each person, click here. 

You can call University Health Services for:

• Urine and blood pregnancy testing
• Prenatal  vitamins
• Early pregnancy information
• Referrals for prenatal care and abortions

At this time UHS does not offer medical abortions.

If you are conflicted about being pregnant and want to discuss this over the phone, you can contact All Options – an organization that promotes unconditional, judgment-free support for people in all of their decisions relating to pregnancy, abortion, parenting, and adoption.

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) answers many questions on pregnancy options.

If you are pregnant and conflicted, it is best to proceed with steps for a healthy pregnancy in case you change your mind. Click here to read more.  

Both medical and surgical abortions are legal in Massachusetts. Medical abortions by telehealth are also legal in Massachusetts.

In order to see what restrictions exist in each state, the map from the Guttmacher Institute may be useful.

If you are proceeding with an abortion, protect your privacy!

• Location tracking on your cell phone: Check your cell phone and turn off all privacy tracking features that aren’t needed. You can see in your phone’s settings which apps are designated to track your location in which instances.
  • Some people may also choose to purchase a separate cell phone, called a burner phone, that has a prepaid number of minutes or texts in advance. This phone can be used only for abortion-related purposes, and it will be turned off when not in use. If the temporary phone is still a smartphone, it’s best to turn off all location tracking. Many burner phones are mobile phones with simple technological capabilities, such as being able to send text messages and make phone calls. This helps to reduce the likelihood of cell phone communication being easily tracked to you
• Using mail services for medication abortion, read more here.

Below is a brief description of different types of abortion procedures - you can read more here. 

Abortion is the process of terminating a pregnancy. This can be done through two different methods: medication abortion or an in-clinic abortion.

Emergency Contraception vs. Medical Abortion

Medication Abortion

• Medication abortion is when a pregnant person takes pills to end their pregnancy and can occur outside of medical settings, as many people prefer to complete it in the privacy and comfort of their home. These types of abortions usually occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, generally before ten to eleven weeks after the pregnant person's last menstrual period. 
• To end a pregnancy with medication, two different types of pills are used: mifepristone and misoprostol. 
  • The process begins by taking mifepristone on the first day, and then a day or two later taking the misoprostol. 
  • After taking the misoprostol, the pregnant person will begin to expel the fetal tissue from their body. Many people experience heavy bleeding and cramping during this time, with the experience resembling a miscarriage. 
  • The vast majority of medication abortions are successful without any additional medical interventions, as the pill works over 98% of the time. However, if a person were to experience increased bleeding, a fever, persistent cramping, or other symptoms indicating that their pregnancy hasn't fully passed, they may need to seek additional treatment. 
  • If you live in a state where abortion is illegal and you used medication abortion, you don't need to tell any providers while seeking care. Medication abortion pills cannot be detected in any tests. A medication abortion and miscarriage present the same symptoms, and healthcare professionals can help accordingly. 
• Not everyone may be a candidate for a self-managed medication abortion. If people are more than 12 weeks pregnant, the abortion pills may not fully terminate the pregnancy. Additionally, people with a variety of health conditions, who may have an ectopic pregnancy or history of ecoptic pregnancy, or have an intrauterine device (IUD) are all advised to seek guidance from a health professional. Access to support is also critical, so it's not recommended that these be taken by someone who is alone or can't get to a healthcare provider within 2 hours. While medication abortions are generally considered very safe, complications may arise in which seeking care is necessary. 

In-Clinic Abortion

Medical providers can administer 2 different kinds of in-clinic abortions: suction/aspiration abortion and dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion. Which kind a pregnant person chooses may depend on a variety of factors, but one of the key factors in the decision is how far into the pregnancy a person is. A suction/aspiration abortion can be completed at about 14-16 weeks after the last menstrual period, while a D&E abortion is usually the option selected for abortions completed after 14-16 weeks into the pregnancy. 

• Exhale is a non-profit organization that runs a post-abortion support hotline: (617) 749-2948. 

"How to Spot Anti-Abortion 'Crisis Pregnancy Centers"

The yearly cost of raising a child in Massachusetts is around $22,677. 

The yearly cost of contraception varies on the following:

• ACCESS, a Massachusetts law, allows eligible people to receive a year's supply of prescription birth control at no cost with one trip to the pharmacy. 
• Because of the Affordable Act, most insurance plans must cover all methods of birth control at no cost to you (income plans may not cover certain brands). Your health insurance provider can tell which types of birth control they pay for.
• According to GoodRx, the average annual out-of-pocket cost is $266 for people who have insurance and $268 for those who don't. 
• Long-lasting reversible methods, such as an IUD or implant, can last 3-10 years, therefore yearly cost is negligible. 

The cost of an abortion is covered by some insurance plans or around $500-1,000 in Massachusetts.